Graduate Degrees

KAMAKAKŪOKALANI CENTER FOR HAWAIIAN STUDIES

Master of Arts Program

The Master of Arts degree in Hawaiian Studies builds on the BA program’s areas of concentration. It addresses crucial issues such as the sustainability and resource management of the environment that is consistent with the geography and history of Hawai‘i, indigenous pedagogy and epistemology, and a political and governmental infrastructure for a Hawaiian nation. The MA also provides professionals in government, law, criminal justice, education, social work, and various health fields, the specialized knowledge in Hawaiian history and culture needed to adequately serve an array of communities.

Our BA and MA programs consist of five areas of concentration:

Hālau o Laka: Native Hawaiian Creative Expression

Kūkulu Aupuni: Envisioning the Nation

Kumu Kahiki: Comparative Polynesian and Indigenous Studies

Mālama ‘Āina: Hawaiian Perspectives on Resource Management

Mo‘olelo ‘Ōiwi: Native History and Literature

This program features an interdisciplinary curriculum that draws from faculty strengths in indigenous knowledge as well as other academic fields. Some examples of faculty expertise in Native customary practices include oli, music, fiber arts, voyaging, and navigation. Our faculty members’ expertise also covers a wide spectrum of other academic fields that include planning, poetry, educational technology, political science, history, geography, Hawaiian visual culture, education, and natural sciences.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Offer an interdisciplinary curriculum addressing colonization, self‐determination and governance for Hawai‘i and all Pacific island nations as seen from a Native perspective. Examine sustainability, economic development, and land and resource management in Hawai‘i. Explore visual culture, both contemporary and traditional. Analyze Indigenous education, methodologies, and epistemologies.

Increase Hawaiian participation in scholarship, publications, and the activities of the academy and broader community. Facilitate connections with national, international, and Indigenous scholars worldwide.

Promote a model of education advocating all aspects of Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, language, and perspectives in order to provide a Hawaiian sense of place for students, faculty, and all members of the broader community.

Promote experiences for leadership development to enlarge the numbers of future leaders in the field of Hawaiian Students to assume positions within the public and private sector, government, higher education, and increase contributions in the broader community.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the Hawaiian Studies master’s program students should be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of Indigenous research methodologies and develop a Native Hawaiian epistemology from sources in comparative Indigenous thought.

Demonstrate understanding of Hawaiian archival research and familiarity with the rich historical primary sources existent in various archives.

Demonstrate critical analysis of Hawaiian literature and an understanding of the significance of secondary sources in Hawaiian topics.

Demonstrate critical thoughts and synthesis through the development of a research proposal and the completion of their thesis or practicum project (Plan A or Plan B).

With high scholarly ability, contribute to Hawaiian research and knowledge through publications, presentations, and/or community service.

Degree Requirements

Pre-Requisites

The following 15 credits of prerequisite coursework are required for applicants who are not Hawaiian Studies BA degree recipients from UH-Manoa. These courses represent the educational foundations of our field and are required prerequisite courses to enroll in upper division undergraduate and graduate level courses. Although, students taking these prerequisites may enroll concurrently in graduate level Hawaiian studies courses, enrollment is only allowed by the consent of the instructor.

HWST 107 Hawai’i: Center of the Pacific

HWST 270 Hawaiian Mythology

HWST 341 Hawaiian Genealogies

HWST 342 Chiefs of Post-Contact Hawai’i

HWST 343 Myths of Hawaiian History or HWST 390 Issues in Modern Hawai’i or HWST 490 Senior Seminar in Hawaiian Studies

Applicants to the MA program must have satisfactorily completed HAW 302 or the equivalent at the time of entry. Any remaining prerequisite coursework that was not completed prior to admission must be completed within in the first year. Courses in directed research/reading (e.g. HWST 499/699) are not to be used to make up any prerequisite courses.

MA Degree Requirements

Students must complete a total of 33 credits (not to include prerequisites) of which 18 credits must be at the 600 level or higher and have completed or tested out of HAW 402. Students are required to complete, within the program, four HWST core courses (12 credits), two HWST area of concentration courses (6 credits), and a HWST thesis research or practicum research course (6 credits). The remaining (9 credits) may be made up of elective coursework.

Major Required Courses

There are four core classes that all MA students are required to take. They form the foundation of the MA program.

HWST 601 Indigenous Research Methodologies

HWST 602 Hawaiian Archival Research

HWST 603 Review of Hawaiian Literature

HWST 604 Thesis Research Methods

Areas of Concentration (AOC)

MA candidates will choose two of the five areas of concentration to focus their research. Candidates will be required to integrate the two areas of concentration into a Master’s Plan A or a Master’s Plan B.

Submit final approved thesis paper to graduate division and Hawaiian Studies program

Plan B non-Thesis

Plan B candidates take 6 credits of HWST 695 Practicum Research Plan B from their Plan B Committee Chair as they work on their original project-driven research with accompanying documentation/artifact and complete the following requirements for graduation:

Submit research documentation/artifact to committee

Successfully defend project in a private defense to committee

Public presentation on project

Submit project documentation/artifact to Hawaiian Studies program

Dual Master’s Degree Program

Students may pursue a Master’s in Hawaiian Studies and a second master’s concurrently in Library and Information Science. Students enrolled in either program may apply for admission in the other degree program. The dual master’s option allows sharing of many elective courses. For more information, contact the HWST graduate chair or a LIS advisor.

KAWAIHUELANI CENTER FOR HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE

Master of Arts in Hawaiian

Kawaihuelani offers a Master of Arts in Hawaiian and a dual Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. Students enrolled in either program may apply for admission in the other degree program.

Program Objectives

The graduate program in Hawaiian is designed to provide broad, in-depth education in the Hawaiian language, culture, and literature and is an integral part of the efforts to revitalize Hawaiian as a living language. The program is designed to create scholarship in Hawaiian in new domains, including advanced study of literature; to strengthen and expand the understanding and use of various styles of Hawaiian; to develop curriculum and resources and teacher training for the Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian medium schools); and to provide support to graduate students in related fields. The MA in Hawaiian is intended for students who have a broad background in Hawaiian language and culture, but want more depth in their knowledge. The three areas of the curriculum that are available are:

Mo‘olelo: The Mo‘olelo curricula focuses on Hawaiian history and literature through the analysis, critique, creation and presentation of Hawaiian language resources

Kumu Kula Kaiapuni: The Kumu Kaiapuni curricula focuses on the educational, linguistic, and cultural tools that teachers need to perform better in Hawaiian medium schools. Students producing curriculum and developing their own teaching skills will also be able to work closely with the Mary Kawena Pukui Hale

Kālai‘ōlelo: The Kālai‘ōlelo curricula focuses on the linguistic analysis of Hawaiian

Admission Requirements

All potential graduate students must submit an application to the Office of Graduate Education. Applicants to the MA in Hawaiian must have completed a Bachelor’s degree and submitted the following to the graduate chair prior to admission: official transcripts from each school attended; 18 upper-division credit hours in Hawaiian and HAW 402 (or equivalent); a statement of objectives written in Hawaiian; and three letters of recommendation.

In addition, a written and oral examination in Hawaiian will be administered by the graduate chair, and an interview will be conducted by an admissions committee of Hawaiian language faculty.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 33 credits with a GPA of 3.0 or better and must include at least 24 credits at the 600 level or higher

With pre-approval from the graduate advisor, a student may include a limit of 9 credits that are not taught in Hawaiian but are related to their research

Students must receive a B- or better in ALL courses counted towards their degree

Thesis Plan A

Students completing a Plan A thesis are required to take 6 credits of HAW 700. A student must write a thesis in Hawaiian on a topic approved by the student’s advisor and committee. The total number of 699 and 700 credits applied toward degree requirements shall not exceed 12 credits.

Thesis Plan B

Students completing a Plan B project/non-thesis will display the knowledge he or she has researched into a form of his or her choice with the approval of the advisor and committee. Students may also choose the internship/haumana relationship with a mānaleo (native speaker), kūpuna (elder), or other cultural practitioner where the student will observe, learn, participate, and document the experience. A maximum of 9 credits of 699 may be applied toward degree requirements.

Dual Master’s Degree Library and Information Science (LIS)

Students may pursue a Master’s in Hawaiian and a second Master’s concurrently in Library and Information Science. Students enrolled in either program may apply for admission in the other degree program. The dual master’s option allows sharing of many elective courses. For more information, contact the HAW graduate chair or a LIS advisor.